Rafael Nadal, Back in the Dirt

He resembled the man we remember. The hair was the hair; a little shorter, but not short. The biceps were the biceps. The Nike get-up, as always, was customized for him: "squadron" blue bandana and shorts, a shirt in Barney the Dinosaur purple, a touch of orange sherbet around the neck. He swooped that famous lasso forehand. He took forever between serves. He sweated. He toweled. He grunted. He sounded like a man lifting a heavy credenza. Yeah. That was his grunt.

He was terrible in the opening moments. It had been 222 days since Rafael Nadal last played singles tennis, the last time being an immolation in Wimbledon's second round to a rampaging Lukas Rosol. A knee injury was blamed for Nadal's absence—a partial tear in his left patella tendon—but the delay dragged on in maddening spurts. He was said to be getting better, then not so better. Training, but not playing. Nadal seemed to be on his way back for the Australian Open, but then removed himself with a stomach bug. It got to be aggravating. Rafa promised, Rafa denied.

Now here he was, finally, in Vina del Mar, Chile, his first appearance in South America in eight years. His opponent Wednesday was Federico Delbonis, a 22-year-old from Argentina who entered the match with world ranking of 113 and a career record of 9-14. Delbonis was predicted to be a speed bump. Then he wasn't a speed bump. Delbonis took the first two games easily, knocking Nadal around the court with a heavy forehand. But in the fourth game, playing at deuce, Delbonis pushed Nadal deep into the alley on the forehand side. That's a defensive shot for all but the best, but Nadal came around on it sharply, cracking a rocket forehand that ripped the inside line. A helpless Delbonis watched it pass like a comet. Nadal jabbed a triumphant fist.

Hello, Rafa.

They went back and forth for a while. Nadal stayed in control, but he was rusty. Of course he was. Seven months is seven months. During this period, tennis has moved underneath his feet. When Nadal left the game, he was the second-ranked player in the world. He is fifth in the planet now, not bad for someone on ice since June, but it's Nadal's lowest ranking since May 2005, before he won his first of 11 Grand Slams. In his place, Andy Murray has risen, taking Olympic gold and then his first Slam at the U.S. Open, and playing with a new confidence. Novak Djokovic is Novak Djokovic, World No. 1. Nadal's most indelible rival, Roger Federer, hovers at No. 2, at age 31. Nadal's countryman from Spain, David Ferrer, sits at No. 4.

The men's game has still been good. But it hasn't been the same. There's saying in boxing that "styles make fights" and the same is true of tennis. Nadal's physical, punishing game provided a perfect contrast to more traditional opponents, especially Federer's elegance. The rivalry matches between the heavyweights became mesmerizing, almost mandatory. Fans of men's tennis found themselves in the odd space of rooting for the favorites. A tournament denied a semifinal with the Big Four was somehow less of a tournament.

For too long, the Big Four was the Big Three. Not bad. But shorthanded.

Nadal was in Chile for the clay, of course. Vina del Mar is not a top tournament—the Journal's Carl Bialik pointed out on Wednesday, it's the type of low-level ATP event Nadal has traditionally avoided. But its red clay is like a comfort blanket for Nadal. His presence at Vina del Mar was not unlike the Stones showing up to play a small club. The Tennis Channel excitedly arranged a broadcast. Analyst Justin Gimelstob checked in via phone. "The whole city is absolutely electrified by Rafa Nadal being here," he said.

Nadal closed out Delbonis 6-3, 6-2. He is favored to win in Chile, despite his extended absence, and from there is due to play in Brazil and Mexico. The most obvious short-term goal is the French Open in Paris, also on red clay, where Nadal has won a remarkable seven times, including last year. He is likely to face strong competition from a motivated Djokovic, seeking the only major he still hasn't won, not to mention Step Two of a calendar Grand Slam.

This little match at Vina del Mar was simply a baby step for Nadal. Nothing more. Fans have missed that bandana, that lasso forehand, and even that heavy grunt, and there will be great pressure upon Nadal to recapture old greatness. But that wasn't the message of the day. The message was that Rafael Nadal is back playing tennis. It felt like a relief. It felt like enough.

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